Gospel – Mark 1:12-15 (Sunday 18 February 2018)

And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts, and the angels waited on him.

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’

Gospel readings are taken from NRSV Bible.

Daily reflection points

Monday

This Gospel reading takes us into the desert with Jesus. What struck me in the reading?

Tuesday

Jesus spends forty days alone away from all connections. Have I experienced a time in the wilderness? How was I attempted to abandon God in these times?

Wednesday

The angels wait on Jesus in the desert. When have I felt that God was accompanying me?

Thursday

Jesus proclaims that the Kingdom of God is near. How does the Good News of Jesus change our way of living in the world?

Friday

What have I discovered while spending time with Jesus in the desert this week?

Video clip: Australian Outback sandstorm

(You might choose to add your own music, or just use the sounds of the desert winds).

Meditation

Jesus survives forty days living in the dry, uninhabitable and parched sands of the desert. Out of great hardship, hunger and thirst, Jesus comes to announce a time of abundance. He points to the dawn of a new age.
Jesus invites me to flourish in God’s presence, in God’s kingdom, in God’s time. This invitation to come fully alive begins with a turning towards God. I ask Jesus to give me a fresh perspective:
to enliven me with gladness;
to lead me away from despair;
to prepare me to glorify God.

When Jesus says the kingdom of God is at hand he is assuring me that a new age has dawned. I ask for the grace:
to begin anew with the Lord;
to discover again my dignity as a child of God;
to realise the many ways I am capable of generosity, love and compassion;
to find a new peace in an awareness of God’s presence;
to see how I am made new by the power of God’s Holy Spirit.

I spend time with Jesus so that he may help me:
to believe in the gospel;
to live by his light;
to love others in freedom;
to bring his peace to the world.